BLOOMINGTON, MN. (THECOUNT) — Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, 18, has been arrested and federally charged after prosecutors say he was planning an ISIS-inspired mass shooting at the Mall of America targeting the Hmong Arts Celebration festival scheduled for October 24.
During an undercover FBI operation Tuesday, Mohamud allegedly purchased an AK-47-style rifle and approximately 200 rounds of ammunition from an undercover employee posing as an ISIS member, according to newly unsealed federal court records. Prosecutors say Mohamud intended to use the weapons in an attack that could have killed dozens of people.
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The FBI began investigating Mohamud in December 2024 after a confidential source started communicating with him about either traveling overseas to fight for terrorist organizations or carrying out a mass-casualty attack in the United States, court documents allege.
Over the course of the investigation, prosecutors say Mohamud repeatedly discussed violence, martyrdom and his desire to kill people. In one exchange, he allegedly wrote about getting a gun and “start killing a bunch of white ppl.”
By December 2025, Mohamud was allegedly expressing interest in supporting ISIS. Investigators say his focus eventually shifted away from traveling overseas and toward carrying out an attack in Minnesota after he determined he did not have enough money to travel to Somalia.
According to the criminal complaint, Mohamud eventually identified the Mall of America as his preferred target. Prosecutors allege he told the confidential source he wanted to attack the shopping complex because he believed it was owned by Jewish people and said that killing approximately 30 people would discourage others from going there.
Mohamud also allegedly cited previous mass-casualty attacks as inspiration for his plans, including the New Orleans New Year’s Day attack and the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando.
By August, prosecutors say Mohamud began arranging an in-person meeting with the confidential source to obtain a firearm and ammunition. He allegedly provided photographs of himself so the source could identify him and ultimately agreed to meet on October 6.
The alleged target date was October 24, when the Hmong Arts Celebration is scheduled to take place in the Mall of America’s Huntington Bank Rotunda. The event is scheduled for noon to 5 p.m.
During the October 6 meeting, the undercover FBI employee allegedly provided Mohamud with the rifle, four magazines and approximately 200 rounds of ammunition. Mohamud was taken into custody by FBI agents after leaving the vehicle, according to the affidavit.
U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Dan Rosen said Wednesday that the investigation disrupted the alleged plan before anyone was harmed.
“The American people and the citizens of Minnesota should know from yesterday’s arrest” that federal authorities detected and disrupted the threat, Rosen said, citing Mohamud’s alleged statement that he intended to kill “maybe 30 to 60 people.”
FBI Minneapolis Field Office Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson said the messages investigators obtained allegedly demonstrated Mohamud’s commitment to ideologically motivated violence and hatred toward people of other faiths.
Rosen said Mohamud is an American citizen born in the United States and that his parents are from Somalia.
Rosen also said the FBI had previously attempted to intervene after investigators became aware of extremist material Mohamud was allegedly sharing online. In 2025, agents went to Mohamud’s home in an attempt to speak with his parents, but they declined to meet with investigators.
Mohamud faces one federal count alleging that he knowingly received a firearm and ammunition while knowing or having reason to believe they would be used to commit a federal crime of terrorism. The allegations remain unproven, and Mohamud is presumed innocent unless convicted in court.
The nearly two-year investigation ended without the planned attack taking place, and no one was injured during the operation.
The Mall of America is located in Bloomington in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, while Mohamud was arrested in nearby Richfield, Minnesota.
Google Maps: Mall of America, Bloomington, Minnesota
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